Process and device for controlling working parts of a combine harvester

ABSTRACT

The process and device for controlling at least one operating condition parameter ( 54 ) of working parts ( 45 ) of a combine harvester ( 1 ) has at least one sensing device ( 36, 40 ) for monitoring a crop tailings stream ( 31 ) and for generating a grain tailings signal (X) and a tailings flow rate signal (Y) for control of the operating condition parameters ( 54 ), such as blower speed, upper sieve mesh, lower sieve mesh, so that changes in the crop harvesting conditions can be reacted to rapidly and efficiently. The device includes an evaluating and display unit ( 39 ), which includes a controller ( 53 ) for automatically controlling operating condition parameters or for displaying control information produced by control algorithms ( 56  to  58 ), so that the operating condition parameters can be optimized according to the grain tailings signal (X) and tailings flow rate signal (Y).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a process for controlling one or moreoperating condition parameters of working parts of a combine harvester,in which the working parts comprise a threshing device or part, aseparating part associated with the threshing device, at least onecleaning unit including cleaning parts and at least one tailings devicein working connection between the at least one cleaning unit and thethreshing device. The present invention also relates to a deviceperforming this process for controlling the one or more operatingcondition parameters of the working parts of the combine harvester.

2. Related Art

A number of systems for detecting grain losses, which use the grain lossinformation for subsequently changing certain operation conditionparameters of the working parts of a combine harvester, are known in theprior art. Thus EP 0 339 141, for example, discloses a system, in whichthe grain detection devices are arranged at different positions withinthe combine harvester for detection of different grain streams.Subsequently grain loss values, which act as indicators for changes ofdiverse operating parameters of the combine harvester for the operatorof the combine harvester, are derived by computational algorithm fromthe obtained intormation. EP 0 728 409, among others, discloses a systemfor automatic control of a section within the combine harvesteraccording to the detected grain losses in order to make the requiredchanges of the operating condition parameters due to the detected grainlosses independent of the knowledge and abilities of the operator. Thesetypes of processes, above all, have the disadvantage that the grainlosses are detected after the crop has passed through the combineharvester, so that it reacts in a delayed or late fashion to thechanging separating conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus an object of the present invention to develop a process andassociated device, which observes the changing harvest conditions soonerand thus permits an efficient adjustment of the operating conditionparameters of the agricultural machine to these changing conditions.

These objects and others, which will be made more apparent hereinafter,are attained in a process for controlling one or more operatingcondition parameters of at least one working part of a combineharvester, the at least one working part comprising a threshing device,a separating unit associated with the threshing device, at least onecleaning unit including cleaning parts and at least one tailings unitfor working connection of the at least one cleaning unit with thethreshing device.

According to the invention this process comprises coordinating orassigning at least one sensing device to monitor a crop tailings streamand generating tailings stream signals for control of the one or moreoperating condition parameters of the at least one working part with atleast one sensing device.

Correspondingly in the device according to the invention the at leastone tailings unit is associated with the at least one sensing device formonitoring a crop tailings stream and tailings stream signals generatedin the at least one sensing device are transmitted to an evaluating anddisplay unit comprising at least controller, wherein the tailings streamsignals form set values for control to optimize one or more of theoperating condition parameters.

Since the tailings unit of the combine harvester is associated with atleast one sensing device for monitoring the crop tailings stream and thetailings stream signals generated by the at least one sensing device arereferred to for control of the one or more operating conditionparameters of the at least one working part of the combine harvester, arapid and efficient reaction to changing harvesting conditions isguaranteed.

An especially effective control results when the at least one workingpart is at least one cleaning unit underlying the very complex assemblyand the operating condition parameters are the cleaning blower speed,the upper sieve mesh and the lower sieve mesh.

The precision of the regulation can be increased especially when thetailings stream signals are a measure of the tailings grain fraction aswell as the tailings flow rate, since both parameters are indicators ofthe harvest conditions and thus the operating efficiency.

So that the control according to the invention can be performed in asimple manner the sensing device includes an evaluating and displayunit, which receives and detects the tailings stream signals dependingon the operating condition parameters of the at least one cleaning unit.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention known sensors fordetecting grain loss are provided in the combine thresher, which permitdetection of separating losses and cleaning losses depending ondifferent operating condition parameters. This especially has theadvantage that the operator is informed regarding the effect of thecontrol on the grain losses.

An especially simple version of the process according to the inventionresults when the evaluation and control unit has a controller in whicheditable control algorithms are stored, which optimize differentoperating condition parameters of the working parts according to thetailings grain fraction and the tailings flow rate. The flexibility ofthe control is still further increased when the control algorithms arespecially tailored to the different operating condition parameters to beoptimized.

A preferred embodiment, which considers operator comfort, results whenthe controller automatically selects the control algorithm or algorithmsto be used to optimize the operating condition parameters. Also thecontrol process is thus independent of special knowledge of the operatorof the agricultural machine.

In order to further improve the quality of the control the storedcontrol algorithms consider crop specific parameters, such as the cropthroughput, the crop type and the crop properties, since the adjustmentof the different operating condition parameters are influencedproportionally by the crop specific parameters.

In the simplest embodiments the controller and thus the control processcan be started or put in operation by the operator of the combinethresher. Advantageously the tailings grain fraction and the tailingsflow rate measured by the sensing device at the start of the controlprocess form the set values and thus the operating or working point ofthe control process.

In the simplest case the control process is started and the controlleris put into operation manually by operator action. The operator startsthe controller and the control process and then selects a working pointwith reduced grain losses and with sufficient grain cleanness with thehelp of the measured grain losses displayed for him or her, theso-called subjective cleanness horizon.

So that the operator of the combine thresher has optimum conditions fordeciding which operating point to select for the control process, it isadvantageous when the combine thresher performs a so-called calibrationmotion with approximately constant speed and/or approximately constantthroughput prior to starting the control process.

An especially efficient optimization of the lower sieve mesh resultswhen the control algorithm provided for that purpose increases the lowersieve mesh when the tailings grain fraction and the tailings flow rateboth increase and analogously decreases the lower sieve mesh when thetailings grain fraction and the tailing flow rate both decrease, untilthe predetermined set values for the tailings grain fraction and thetailings flow rate are at least approximately reached.

Because of the different effects of the various operation conditionparameters on the crop material separation an effective optimization ofthe upper sieve mesh is attained when the control algorithm provided forthat purpose decreases the upper sieve mesh when the tailings grainfraction decreases and the tailings flow rate increases and analogouslyincreases the lower sieve mesh when the tailings grain fractionincreases and the tailings flow rate decreases, until the predeterminedset values for the tailings grain fraction and the tailings flow rateare at least approximately reached.

An especially efficient optimization of the cleaning blower speedresults when the control algorithm provided for that purpose operates toincrease or increases the blower speed when the tailings grain fractionincreases and the tailings flow rate decreases and to decrease ordecreases the blower speed when the tailings grain fraction increasesand the tailings flow rate simultaneously increases, until predeterminedset values for the tailings grain fraction and tailings flow rate arereached. Because of the complex connection between the cleaning blowerspeed and the separating efficiency it is advantageous when the controlalgorithm decreases the blower speed when both the tailings flow rateand the tailings grain fraction decrease and increases the blower speedwhen the tailings flow rate increases and the tailings grain fractiondecreases, until the predetermined set values for the tailings flow rateand the tailings grain fraction are again reached.

An additional relief of the operator of the combine thresher resultswhen the optimized operating condition parameters are automatically setin the appropriate working parts in an advantageous further embodimentof the invention.

So that controller does not over-supply the adjusting systems or permitsan only significant adjustments for reasonable control operation, upperand/or lower limiting values can be provided to limit the values of theoperating condition parameters to be optimized by the controller. Undersimilar considerations the control algorithms can refer to or considerso-called disturbance condition variables and associated toleranceranges. The control process is then interrupted or terminated, when theyare over-shot or under-shot and then the operator is required to input anew operating or working point. Especially significant disturbancecondition variables include the crop properties, the ratio of grainthroughput to tailings flow rate and the ratio of grain throughput tocrop layer height.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The objects, features and advantages of the invention will now beillustrated in more detail with the aid of the following description ofthe preferred embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a combine harvester include thedevice for control of operating condition parameters according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a process according to the invention forcontrolling operating condition parameters of working parts of thecombine harvester shown together with a plan view of the front of anevaluating and display unit including a controller for the process;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control algorithm for the lower sieve meshof a lower sieve in the separating unit used in the process forcontrolling operating condition parameters according to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of another control algorithm for the upper sievemesh of an upper sieve in the separating unit used in the process forcontrolling operating condition parameters according to the invention;and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of another control algorithm for the cleaningblower speed of a blower in the separating unit used in the process forcontrolling operating condition parameters according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A combine harvester 1 is shown in FIG. 1, which comprises a feed rake 3and a cutter head 2 on the front end of the feed rake 3. The feed rake 3conveys the harvested crop stream 4 harvested by the harvesting tool 2to the rear into a threshing device 5, in which a first partial cropstream 6 comprising grain, unthreshed ears, short straw and chaff isseparated. The remaining harvested crop stream 4 arrives in a rear partof the threshing device 5 in whose lower section an additional partialcrop stream 9 likewise comprising grain, unthreshed ears, short strawand chaff is separated by a separating unit 8 constructed as a shakertray 7. While the separated additional partial crop stream 9 on theshaker tray 7 is fed to the grain pan 11 via a return pan 10, the firstpartial crop stream 6 separated by the threshing device 5 reaches thegrain pan 11 directly. The harvested crop stream 4 comprising theseparated waste 12, which now comprises straw and a small residual grainfraction, is fed out from the combine harvester 1.

The partial crop steams 6, 9 reaching the grain pan 11 are conveyed ascommon harvested crop steam 13 to the cleaning unit 14 downstream of thegrain pan 11. The cleaning unit 14 is formed in a known way fromcleaning sieves, namely the upper sieve 15 and the lower sieve 16,arranged graded with respect to each other in a vertical direction andat least one cleaning blower 17 supplying an air stream through thesieve arrangement 15,16. The usually vibrating, sieve arrangement 15,16, through which air flows, separates the harvested crop flow 13conveyed to it from the grain pan 11 into a grain component and anon-grain component. The crop stream 19 comprising the so-calledcleaning losses 18, which include predominantly short straw, chaff and asmall amount of grain, is fed out from the combine harvester 1 in a rearpart of the cleaning unit 14.

An additional grain stream 20 comprising grain and a small additionalcomponent passing through the sieve arrangement 15, 16 is fed to thegrain tank 23 in a known way by means of a feed screw device 21 and agrain elevator 22 for storage of the grain stream 20. The amount andcomposition of the grain stream 20 passing through the cleaning sieve15, 16 can, on the one hand, be influenced by a change of the cleaningblower speed 24 and a change of the width of the passages or gaps 25, 26between neighboring plates 27, 28 of the individual cleaning sieves 15,16, the so-called upper sieve mesh 25 and/or lower sieve mesh 26. Fromthe state of the art it is known that the efficiency of the cleaningunit 14 can be adjusted or influenced so that the vibration frequency ofthe cleaning sieves 15, 16 is changeable or the sieve surfaces 29, 30associated with the sieve arrangement 15, 16 are exchangeable accordingto the structure of the harvested crop to be cleaned. The differentsieve surfaces 29, 30 differ in the size of their passages.

The upper sieve plates 27 have a greater spacing or distance from eachother at the rear end of the upper sieve 15. The purpose of this greatermesh 25 is especially to separate the unthreshed ears and grain stillprovided with glumes and/or awn in this region above the upper sieve 15.At the same time grain, short straw and chaff, which together form aso-called crop tailings stream 31 that does not leave the combineharvester 1, are separated in this region and the rear region of thelower sieve 16. This crop tailings stream 31 is fed along a guidesurface 32 to a crop screw conveyor 33, which conveys the crop tailingsstream 31 to another crop elevator 34, which subsequently feeds it backto the threshing device 5. The so-called tailings device or unit 35comprises devices determining the path of the crop tailings stream 31,the rear region of the sieve arrangement 15, 16, the guide surface 32,the crop screw conveyor 33 and the crop elevator 34. According to theinvention grain flow measuring devices 36 are arranged in the rearregion of the cleaning sieves 15, 16, which measure the fraction of thegrain in the crop tailings stream 31, the tailings grain fraction 37, ina manner that is still to be described. In the simplest case the grainflow measuring devices 36 are formed by a plurality of sensor rods orbars 38 arranged spaced from each other along the width of the cleaningsieves 15, 16 and known in themselves. These sensor rods or bars 38register the contacts with grain contained in the crop tailings stream31 according to a sound conduction principle and generate grain tailingssignals X proportional to the grain tailings fraction 37 in a knownmanner. The grain tailings signals X are transmitted to an evaluatingand display unit 39 to be described in more detail hereinbelow. Alsovolume flow rate sensing device 40, which is known and will not bedescribed further here, is associated with the crop elevator 34. Thevolume flow rate sensing device 40 can detect the tailings flow rate 41of the tailings conveyed by the crop elevator 34. It generates atailings flow rate signal Y accordingly, which is likewise supplied tothe evaluating and display unit 39. Details of an arrangement of thissort are disclosed in DE 103 43 916.1.

An additional volume flow rate sensing device 42 for detecting grainflow through the first grain elevator 22, which is known in itself andnot described in further detail here, is associated with the first grainelevator 22 of the combine harvester 1. This additional volume flow ratesensing device 42 produces a grain signal Z, which is likewise fed tothe evaluating and display unit 39. Also so-called grain loss sensors43, 44 cover the crop streams or flows 4, 19 issuing from the combineharvester 1 from their respective outlets. These grain loss sensors areknock or impact sensors operating according the sound conductionprinciple and are known in themselves. The grain still contained inthese crop streams 4, 19 is detected by the grain loss sensors 43, 44and these separator loss signals A and cleaning loss signals R aretransmitted to the evaluating and display unit 39.

According to the previous explanation the threshing device 5, theseparating unit 8 and the cleaning unit 14 form the working parts 45according to the invention, which are integrated in the combineharvester 1. In other embodiments within the scope of the invention thethreshing device 5 and/or the separating unit 8 can be replaced byrotating threshing and/or separating rotors in a manner that is known initself and not described in further detail herein.

Subsequently the process and device for performing it according to theinvention are described with the help of FIGS. 2 to 5. According to FIG.2 the evaluating and display unit 39 comprise an input module 46, aprocessing and memory module 47 and a graphic display unit 48. Theseparator loss signal A, cleaning loss signal R, grain tailings signalX, tailings flow rate signal Y and the grain signal Z transmitted to theevaluating and display unit 39 are further processed by the processingand memory module 47 and transmitted to the graphic display unit 48, sothat the separator losses 49, the cleaning losses 50, the tailings flowrate 41 and the grain tailings fraction 37 are displayed. Symbols 52 canbe associated with the individual displayed parameters, from which thenature of the respective individual displayed parameters 37, 41, 49, 50is apparent, to make monitoring these parameters easier.

A still-to-be-described in detail controller 53 is associated with theprocessing and memory module 47, so that one or more operating conditionparameters of at least one working part 45 can be controlled accordingto the tailings flow rate 41 and the grains return fraction 37 in amanner according to the process of the present invention. In thefollowing control of the cleaning unit 14 in the working part 45 isdescribed, in which the operating condition parameter(s) 54 to becontrolled can be the cleaning blower speed 24, the upper sieve mesh 25and/or the lower sieve mesh 26. For various embodiments within the scopeof the present invention, for example in the case of an excessively highfraction of unthreshed ears in the crop tailings stream 31, the workingpart 45 to be controlled can be the threshing device 5 and the operatingcondition parameter 54 to be controlled can be threshing cylinder speedof one or more threshing cylinders.

The instantaneous values of the operating condition parameter 54 aretransmitted to the controller 53 of the processing and memory module 47so that control of the operating condition parameter 54 is possible. Inthe simplest case this can occur so that the cleaning blower 17 isassociated with a known speed sensor 55, which determines theinstantaneous value of the cleaning blower speed 24 and transmits it tothe controller 53 as a cleaning blower speed signal O. Because the uppersieve mesh 25 and the lower sieve mesh 26 are usually adjusted in stagesor steps, the upper sieve mesh signal P and the lower sieve mesh signalQ, which represent the respectively adjusted sieve meshes 25, 26, aretransmitted to the controller 53. In this way it is guaranteed that thecontroller 53 can continuously acquire the instantaneous values O, P, Qof the operating condition parameter 54 and also the associated signalsA, R, X, Y, Z of the different product or crop streams 12, 18, 20, 37,41. In other embodiments within the scope of the present invention thedifferent grain loss signals A, R could be combined into an unshownsingle grain loss signal.

Based on the considerably variable effect of a change of the differentoperating condition parameters 24 to 26 on the separatingcharacteristics of a cleaning unit 14 in the combine harvester 1 controlalgorithms 56, 57, 58 stored in the controller 53 are editable to matchthe respective operating condition parameters 24 to 26. Crop specificparameters like the crop throughput, the crop type and the cropproperties, for example the group moisture, act very differently on therequired operating condition parameters 24 to 26. Thus in a preferredembodiment of the invention it is provided that the crop specificparameter 59 is considered in the control algorithms 56 to 58 in thecontroller 53 in such a way that the optimized operating conditionparameters 24 to 26 are also determined depending on these harvestedmaterial or crop specific parameters 59.

The start or initialization of the controller 53 comprising the controlalgorithms 56 to 58 occurs in the simplest case when the operator of thecombine harvester 1 activates the controller 53 by operating a switch 60integrated in the input unit 46, whereby the instantaneous tailings flowrate 41 and grains return fraction 37 determined at the start form setvalues 61 of the control process and thus the working or operating pointof the control process. The operator of the combine harvester 1determines the instant at which operation of the controller 53 starts.In an advantageous further embodiment of the invention so that theoperator can determine an optimum working point the operator of thecombine harvester 1 performs a calibrating or verifying movement withapproximately constant travel speed of the combine harvester 1 and/orwith approximately constant crop throughput when the controller 53 isput into operation. The operator of the combine harvester can follow thecourse of the separator losses 49 and the cleaning losses 50 during thisso-called verifying or test run. For that purpose in the simplest casethe driver's or operator's cabin 62 can have an observation window 63through which the operator can see into the grain stream 20 flowing intothe grain tank 23. In this way it is possible for the operator to definethe working point of the controller considering low grain losses 49, 50and high grain cleanness, a so-called subjective cleanness horizon orzone. For this purpose the input unit 46 can be provided with additionaloperating elements 51, by which the operator can select the processcontrol algorithms 56 to 58. In various other embodiments within thescope of the present invention this selection of the process controlalgorithms 56 to 58 is unnecessary when the controller 53 is programmedso that one or more of the control algorithms 56 to 58 automaticallyoperate after its start, in order to achieve an efficient control of theoperating condition parameter 54 at the defined set value 61.

Because the instantaneous tailings flow rate 41 and grains returnfraction 37 react to changing boundary conditions, such as crop type andproperties, earlier or sooner than the grain losses 49, 50 and thecleanness of the harvested grain stream 20, they can be employed as anearly quasi-diagnosis system for avoiding excessive grain losses 49, 50or increased uncleanness of the harvested grain stream 20. Theefficiency of this early diagnosis system is considerably increased whenthe control algorithms 56 to 58 stored in the controller 53 consider theinteraction between the operating condition parameter 54 to beoptimized, the grain losses 49, 50 and the tailings flow rate 41 and theand grains tailings fraction 37 sufficiently precisely.

An especially efficient optimization of the lower sieve mesh 26 resultsaccording to FIG. 3, when the control algorithm 56 for optimization ofthe lower sieve mesh 26 is set up so that increasing tailings flow rate41 and increasing grain tailings fraction 37 lead to an increase of thelower sieve mesh 26 until the previously defined set values for thetailings flow rate 41 and the and grains return fraction 37 are reachedagain. Analogously with decreasing tailings flow rate 41 and decreasinggrains return fraction 37 an efficient optimization of the lower sievemesh 26 is then achieved when the lower sieve mesh 26 is reduced untilthe previously defined set values 61 for the tailings flow rate 41 andthe grain tailings fraction 37 are reached.

A highly efficient optimization of the upper sieve mesh 25 is attainedaccording to FIG. 4, when the required control algorithm 57 increasesthe upper sieve mesh 25 when tailings flow rate 41 decreases and thegrain tailings fraction 37 increases, and vice versa, with increasingtailings flow rate 41 and decreasing grain tailings fraction 37, i.e.the control algorithm decreases upper sieve mesh 25 with increasingtailings flow rate 41 and decreasing grain tailings fraction 37 untilthe previously defined set values 61 for the tailings flow rate 41 andthe grain tailings fraction 37 are reached.

An efficient control algorithm 58 for optimization of the cleaningblower speed 24 results according to FIG. 5, when the control algorithm58 increases the cleaning blower speed 24 when the tailings flow rate 41is decreasing and the grain tailings fraction 37 is increasing,decreases the cleaning blower speed 24 with both tailings flow rate 41and grain tailings fraction 37 increasing, decreases the blower speed 24with both tailings flow rate 41 and grain tailings fraction 37decreasing; and increases blower speed 24 when the tailings flow rate 41is increasing and the grain tailings fraction 27 is decreasing, untilthe determined set values 61 for tailings flow rate 41 and grainstailings fraction 37 are again reached.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention additional operatingelements 66 are provided on the input unit 46, by which the operator caninput optimized operating condition parameters 54 determined by thecontrol algorithms 56 to 58, so that the appropriate devices 15, 16, 17of the cleaning unit 14 can be adjusted in a known and not furtherdescribed manner. In other embodiments within the scope of the presentinvention the controller 53 acts without including the operator in thisadjustment process to automatically adjust the optimized operatingcondition parameters 54. So that the controller does not over supply theadjusting mechanism of the cleaning unit 14 for example with stronglyfluctuating crop throughput and properties, the controller 53 in thesimplest case can be shut off by operating the starting switch 60. Thecontrol must be limited to significant values for the differentoperating condition parameters 54 to be optimized. In the simplest casethat can occur when limiting values 64 for the different operatingcondition parameters 54 are provided for the control algorithms 56 to58, which no longer intervene with the tailings flow rate 41 and grainsreturn fraction 37 when the upper and lower limits of the operatingcondition parameters 54 are exceeded or passed. Disturbance signalingvariables 65 and associated tolerance ranges are stored in the controlalgorithms 56 to 58 according to FIG. 2 based on the sameconsiderations. The control process is interrupted when the disturbancesignaling variables 65 are exceeded and the operator is acoustically orvisually notified and required to define a new operating or workingpoint. The disturbance signaling variables 65 for example can beharvested crop properties, the ratio of grain throughput to tailingsrate and the ratio of grain throughput to crop layer height.

Within the scope of the present control process and associated controldevice according to the invention various changes and substitutions canbe made in order to achieve the desired described effects, within thescope of the present invention. PARTS LIST  1 Combine harvester  2Cutter head  3 Feed rake  4 Crop stream  5 Threshing device  6 Partialcrop stream  7 Shaker tray  8 Separating unit  9 Partial crop stream 10Return pan 11 Grain pan 12 Separate waste or losses 13 Harvested cropflow 14 Cleaning unit 15 Upper sieve 16 Lower sieve 17 Cleaning blower18 Cleaning losses 19 Goods stream 20 Grain stream 21 Feed screw device22 Grain elevator 23 Grain tank 24 Blower speed 25 Upper sieve mesh 26Lower sieve mesh 27 Upper sieve plate 28 Lower sieve plate 29 Sievesurface, upper sieve 30 Sieve surface, lower sieve 31 Crop tailingsstream 32 Guide surface 33 Crop screw conveyor 34 Grain elevator 35Tailings unit 36 Grain flow measuring device 37 Tailings grain fraction38 Sensor rod or bar 39 Evaluating and display unit 40 Volume flow ratesensing device 41 Tailings flow rate 42 Volume flow rate sensing device43, 44 Grain loss sensor 45 Working part 46 Input modules 47 Processingand memory module 48 Display unit 49 Separator losses 50 Cleaning losses51 Operating element 52 Symbol 53 controller 54 Operating conditionparameter 55 Speed sensor 56-58 Control algorithms 59 Crop specificparameter 60 Switch 61 Set value 62 Driver's cabin 63 Observation window64 Limiting values 65 Disturbance variable 66 Additional operatingelements A Separator loss signal O Blower speed signal P Upper sievemesh signal Q Lower sieve mesh signal R Cleaning loss signal X graintailings signal Y Tailings flow rate signal Z Grain signal

The disclosure in German Patent Application 103 60 597.5 of Dec. 19,2003 is incorporated here by reference. This German Patent Applicationdescribes the invention described hereinabove and claimed in the claimsappended hereinbelow and provides the basis for a claim of priority forthe instant invention under 35 U.S.C. 119.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in aprocess and device for controlling working parts of a combine harvester,it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since variousmodifications and changes may be made without departing in any way fromthe spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed is new and is set forth in the following appendedclaims.

1. A process for controlling one or more operating condition parametersof working parts of a combine harvester, said working parts comprising athreshing device, a separating unit associated with said threshingdevice, at least one cleaning unit including cleaning parts and at leastone tailings unit for working connection of the at least one cleaningunit with the threshing device, said process comprising coordinating orassigning at least one sensing device (36, 40) for monitoring a croptailings stream (31) and generating tailings stream signals (X, Y) forcontrol of said one or more operating condition parameters (54) of saidworking parts (45) with at least one sensing device (36, 40).
 2. Theprocess as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one cleaning unit (14)comprises a cleaning blower (17) having a cleaning blower speed (24), anupper sieve (15) having an upper sieve mesh (25) and a lower sieve (16)having a lower sieve mesh (26) and said one or more operating conditionparameters (54) of said working parts (45) comprise said cleaning blowerspeed (24), said upper sieve mesh (25) and said lower sieve mesh (26).3. The process as defined in claim 1, wherein said tailings streamsignals (X,Y) comprise a grain tailings signal (X), which is a measureof tailings grain fraction (37) in said tailings stream (31), and atailings flow rate signal (Y), which is a measure of tailings flow rate(41) of said tailings stream (31).
 4. The process as defined in claim 1,wherein said at least one sensing device (36, 40) comprises anevaluating and display unit (39) and said evaluating and display unit(39) detects said tailings stream signals (X, Y), which depend on ones(24 to 26) of said operating condition parameters of said at least onecleaning unit (14).
 5. The process as defined in claim 1, furthercomprising providing grain loss sensors (43, 44) for detecting grainlosses (49, 50) and said grain losses (49, 50) depend on ones (24-26) ofsaid operating condition parameters of said at least one cleaning unit(14).
 6. The process as defined in claim 5, wherein said grain losses(49, 50) comprise separator losses and/or cleaning losses.
 7. Theprocess as defined in claim 3, wherein at least one cleaning unit isprovided with a cleaning blower (17) having a cleaning blower speed(24), an upper sleeve (15) having an upper sieve mesh (25) and a lowersieve (16) having a lower sieve mesh (26); said one or more operatingcondition parameters (54) of said working parts (45) comprise saidcleaning blower speed (24), said upper sieve mesh (25) and said lowersieve mesh (26); said at least one sensing device (36, 40) has aevaluating and display unit (39) including a controller (53); andfurther comprising storing editable control algorithms (56-58) foroptimizing ones (24 to 26) of said operating condition parameters (54)of said at least one cleaning unit (14) in said controller (53) andoptimizing at least one of said cleaning blower speed (24), said uppersieve mesh (25) and said lower sieve mesh (26) by means of said editablecontrol algorithms (56-58) according to tailings flow rate (41) and saidtailings grain fraction (37).
 8. The process as defined in claim 8,further comprising selecting at least one of said control algorithms(56-58) according to at least one selected one of said operatingcondition parameters (54) to be optimized.
 9. The process as defined inclaim 8, wherein said controller (53) selects at least one of saidcontrol algorithms (56-58) according to at least one selected one ofsaid operating condition parameters (54) to be controlled.
 10. Theprocess as defined in claim 8, wherein said control algorithms (56-58)include means for consideration of crop specific parameters (59) andwherein said crop specific parameters (59) comprise crop throughput,crop type and crop properties.
 11. The process as defined in claim 8,further comprising putting said controller (53) including said controlalgorithms (56-58) into operation by an operator of the combineharvester (1) while said combine harvester (1) is operating, and settingset values (61) of the control algorithms (56-58) for controlling saidoperating condition parameters (54) equal to said tailings streamsignals (X, Y) determined by said at least one sensing device (36, 40)at a start-up of said at least one sensing device.
 12. The process asdefined in claim 11, wherein said set values define a working point forthe control of the operating condition parameters.
 13. The process asdefined in claim 8, further comprising determining a start of operationof said controller (53) by an operator of the combine harvester so thatgrain losses (49, 50) are low and grain cleanness is high in order toestablish a subjective cleanness horizon or zone.
 14. The process asdefined in claim 8, wherein the combine harvester (1) performs acalibrating movement with approximately constant speed or approximatelyconstant crop throughput when the controller (53) is put into operation.15. The process as defined in claim 3, wherein said at least one sensingdevice (36, 40) has a evaluating and display unit (39), said evaluatingand display unit (39) includes a controller (53); said at least onecleaning unit (14) includes a lower sieve (16) having a lower sieve mesh(26) and further comprising storing an editable control algorithm (56)for optimizing said lower sieve mesh (26) in said controller (53) andsaid editable control algorithm (56) operates to increase said lowersieve mesh (26) when said tailings grain fraction (37) and said tailingsflow rate (41) both increase and to decrease said lower sieve mesh (26)when said tailings grain fraction (37) and said tailings flow rate (41)both decrease, until predetermined set values (61) for said tailingsgrain fraction (37) and said tailings flow rate (41) are reached. 16.The process as defined in claim 3, wherein said at least one sensingdevice (36, 40) has a evaluating and display unit (39), said evaluatingand display unit (39) includes a controller (53); said at least onecleaning unit (14) includes an upper sieve (15) having an upper sievemesh (25) and further comprising storing an editable control algorithm(57) for optimizing said upper sieve mesh (25) in said controller (53)and said editable control algorithm (57) operates to decrease said uppersieve mesh (25) when said tailings grain fraction (37) decreases andsaid tailings flow rate (41) increases and to increase said upper sievemesh (25) when said tailings grain fraction (37) increases and saidtailings flow rate (41) decreases, until predetermined set values (61)for said tailings grain fraction (37) and said tailings flow rate (41)are reached.
 17. The process as defined in claim 3, wherein said atleast one sensing device (36, 40) has a evaluating and display unit(39), said evaluating and display unit (39) includes a controller (53);said at least one cleaning unit (14) includes a cleaning blower (17)with a cleaning blower speed (24) and further comprising storing aneditable control algorithm (58) for optimizing said cleaning blowerspeed (24) in said controller (53) and said editable control algorithm(58) operates to increase said blower speed (24) when said tailingsgrain fraction (37) increases and said tailings flow rate (41) decreasesand to decrease said blower speed (24) when said tailings grain fraction(37) increases and said tailings flow rate (41) increases, untilpredetermined set values (61) for said tailings grain fraction (37) andsaid tailings flow rate (41) are reached.
 18. The process as defined inclaim 3 or 17, wherein said at least one sensing device (36, 40) has aevaluating and display unit (39), said evaluating and display unit (39)includes a controller (53); said at least one cleaning unit (14)includes a cleaning blower (17) with a cleaning blower speed (24) andfurther comprising storing an editable control algorithm (58) foroptimizing said cleaning blower speed (24) in said controller (53) andsaid editable control algorithm (58) operates to decrease said blowerspeed (24) when said tailings grain fraction (37) decreases and saidtailings flow rate (41) decreases and to increase said blower speed (24)when said tailings grain fraction (37) decreases and said tailings flowrate (41) increases, until predetermined set values (61) for saidtailings grain fraction (37) and said tailings flow rate (41) arereached.
 19. The process as defined in one of claims 15, 16 and 17,wherein operating condition parameters are adjusted automatically bymeans of control signals of said controller (8) or at least partiallymanually by means of actions of an operator of said combine harvester(1).
 20. The process as defined in one of claims 15, 16 and 17, furthercomprising shutting off said controller (53).
 21. The process as definedin one of claims 8, 15, 16 and 17, further comprising storing limitingvalues (64) for said operating condition parameters (54) in saidcontroller (53).
 22. The process as defined in one of claims 8, 15, 16and 17, further comprising interrupting a control process of saidcontrol algorithms stored in said controller (53) when values ofdisturbance signaling variables (65) are no longer within toleranceranges of said disturbances signaling variables (65) and then requiringan operator of the combine harvester (1) to input a new working point.23. The process as defined in one of claims 8, 15, 16 and 17, furthercomprising interrupting a control process of said control algorithmsstored in said controller (53) when values of disturbance signalingvariables (65) are no longer within tolerance ranges of saiddisturbances signaling variables (65) and then requiring an operator ofthe combine harvester (1) to input a new working point, wherein saiddisturbance signaling variables (65) include harvested crop properties,the ratio of grain throughput to tailings flow rate and the ratio ofgrain throughput to crop layer height.
 24. A device for controlling oneor more operating condition parameters of working parts of a combineharvester, said working parts comprising a threshing device, aseparating unit associated with said threshing device, at least onecleaning unit including cleaning parts and at least one tailings unitfor working connection of the at least one cleaning unit with thethreshing device, said device comprising at least one sensing device(36, 40) for monitoring a crop tailings stream (31) of the at least onetailings unit and for generating tailings stream signals (X, Y) forcontrol of one or more operating condition parameters (54) of saidworking parts (45); and an evaluating and display unit (39) including atleast one controller (53), said at least one controller (53) comprisingmeans for controlling said one or more operating condition parametersaccording to set values of said tailings stream signals (X, Y) in orderto optimize said one or more operating condition parameters.
 25. Thedevice as defined in claim 24, wherein said at least one cleaning unit(14) comprises a clearing blower (17), an upper sieve (15) and a lowersieve (47) and said operating condition parameters (54) include acleaning blower speed (24), an upper sieve mesh (25) and a lower sievemesh (26).
 26. The device as defined in claim 24, further comprisingsensor elements (43, 44) for monitoring grain losses and wherein saidgrain losses include separator losses (49) and cleaning losses (50). 27.The device as defined in claim 25, wherein said at least one controller(53) includes control algorithms (56-58) in said controller (53) foroptimizing said one or more operating condition parameters.
 28. Thedevice as defined in claim 27, wherein said tailings stream signals (X,Y) measure tailings grain fraction (37) and tailings flow rate (41) ofsaid tailings stream (31), and wherein a first (56) of said controlalgorithms comprises means for generating control signals to increasesaid lower sieve mesh (26) when said tailings grain fraction (37) andsaid tailings flow rate (41) both increase and to decreasing said lowersieve mesh (26) when said tailings grain fraction (37) and said tailingsflow rate (41) both decrease, until predetermined set values (61) forsaid tailings grain fraction (37) and said tailings flow rate (41) arereached, in order to optimize said lower sieve mesh (26).
 29. The deviceas defined in claim 27 or 28, wherein said tailings stream signals (X,Y) measure tailings grain fraction (37) and tailings flow rate (41) ofsaid tailings stream (31), and wherein a second (57) of said controlalgorithms comprises means for generating control signals to decreasesaid upper sieve mesh (25) when said tailings grain fraction (37)decreases and said tailings flow rate (41) increases and to increasesaid upper sieve mesh (25) when said tailings grain fraction (37)increases and said tailings flow rate (41) decreases, untilpredetermined set values (61) for said tailings grain fraction (37) andsaid tailings flow rate (41) are reached, in order to optimize saidupper sieve mesh (25).
 30. The device as defined in claim 27, whereinsaid tailings stream signals (X, Y) measure tailings grain fraction (37)and tailings flow rate (41) of said tailings stream (31), and wherein athird (58) of said control algorithms comprises means for generatingcontrol signals to decrease said blower speed (24) when said tailingsgrain fraction (37) decreases and said tailings flow rate (41) decreasesand to increase said blower speed (24) when said tailings grain fraction(37) decreases and said tailings flow rate (41) increases, untilpredetermined set values (61) for said tailings grain fraction (37) andsaid tailings flow rate (41) are reached, in order to optimize saidblower speed (24).
 31. The device as defined in claim 27 or 30, whereinsaid tailings stream signals (X, Y) measure tailings grain fraction (37)and tailings flow rate (41) of said tailings stream (31), and wherein athird (58) of said control algorithms comprises means for generatingcontrol signals to decrease said blower speed (24) when said tailingsgrain fraction (37) decreases and said tailings flow rate (41) decreasesand to increase said blower speed (24) when said tailings grain fraction(37) decreases and said tailings flow rate (41) increases, untilpredetermined set values (61) for said tailings grain fraction (37) andsaid tailings flow rate (41) are reached, in order to further optimizesaid blower speed (24).